Romano, who fired a two-hitter with nine strikeouts, in the regional title win, heads a strong pitching staff. He threw 41 consecutive shutout innings during the season and escaped a difficult jam against Canton South Hamilton Wildcats.

"South had the bases loaded and nobody out against us and had their top hitters coming to the plate, but he kept his composure and pitched his way out of it, fanning the cleanup batter," Wright recalled. "That was a big performance in a critical part of the game."

Romano is the ace, but Minerva Lions Den has other pitchers. Wright and Gross also have taken their turns on the mound several times this summer.

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"Our outfield play has gotten better since the start of the season and that helps because we win with defense," Bruce Wright said. "Our infield defense is the strength of this team."

Lions Den is seeking a state championship after losing a city championship bid, falling 8-7 to Alliance Auto Tech Fire Systems.

"That was a disappointing loss, but our kids regrouped and played better," Bruce Wright said. "I've had these kids since they were nine years old and they're very (resilient)."

The bunt is an offensive weapon and nobody in the Minerva Lions Den batting is exempt from laying one down when the opportunity presents itself.

"We believe in small ball," Wright said. "If you want to play small ball, you have to be able to bunt. We think bunting is a good way to get runners in scoring position. We'll play for one run at a time because we believe in our pitching and our defense," added the Lions Den head coach.

Wright also believes in aggressive baserunning, if it results in manufacturing a run. That was the case in the regional final when Minerva Lions Den had runners on first and third and less than two outs. Connor Wright, the trail runner, intentionally got involved in a lengthy rundown between first and second. That rundown enabled Lucas, the lead runner on third, to take off and steal home.'

"We love using that play and Connor Wright is really good at getting into a long rundown," Bruce Wright claimed. "We call him 'Pickle' for that reason. It's a risky play, but it's a good play for us. It fits into our small ball mind-set," he added.

And that small-ball mentality helped put Minerva Lions Den in position to win two more postseason games and a big state championship.